The World - News from March 13, 1988

A joint report on Ecuador by two human rights groups cites a rise in torture, illegal detentions and other abuses, accusing the government of President Leon Febres Cordero of doing little to punish such behavior by police and the military. The report by Americas Watch and the Andean Commission of Jurists also faults U.S. officials for a reluctance to criticize Ecuador’s human rights record. It suggests this is due to Febres Cordero’s free-market economic policies, support for U.S. policy toward Nicaragua and strong anti-terrorist and anti-drug stands. Americas Watch is a U.S.-based group that monitors human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Andean Commission of Jurists is a non-governmental group based in Lima, Peru.